Biography

Mothers name Betsy recorded on death certificate

Place of residence at time of death was Howick Street, Bathurst NSW

Edward was one of Nicholas and Elizabeth's youngest children. He was born about 1824 in the Nepean area. The documents do not give us an accurate date and have us frustratingly confused. The reason being, that Edward, Martha and Mathew - (children of Nicholas & Elizabeth) - were all baptised on the 21st March, 1825 in St. Mary's Cathedral, Sydney. A James McCarthy is recorded as the sponsor for the three children. James McCarthy was recorded as being the unappointed guardian, of the Catholic inhabitants of the early Nepean District. He held regular religious meetings, so that the Catholic community could keep in contact both spiritually and socially.

We know that Edward married Anne Beale, and Martha married John Sherringham, but Mathew does not appear in any other documents, or that the number of children includes him in any of the

documents concerning their father, Nicholas. We have no idea when or where he died, where he is buried and how long he lived. Judging by the fact that the family resided in the Nepean district, there is a strong possibility that Mathew was buried some where in this area, possibly in the James McCarthy Catholic Cemetery. James McCarthy donated an acre of his 100 acres land grant, to be used as a Catholic cemetery for the local Catholic community. A check of the cemeteries of the Nepean area makes no mention of Mathew. So it means that he was buried in an unmarked grave.

Researching the Evan District for those early days gave a scene that was as changeable as the seasons an be in any one-day. As the population started to grow in the young colony, more and more land grants brought many more people into the area. When the Blue Mountains were crossed, people started moving westwards to take up land grants, to try their luck with farming, followed by other lifestyles to support them. With the discoveries of shale, coal and gold, the rush started for miners to extract the minerals to use in life's necessities or to make them rich. Edward and his siblings saw all of this as he was growing up. Also, when floods, droughts, bushfires and plagues descended on the community with constant repetition, Edward learnt the urgency of the emergencies and developed the skills he would need when he was older. He saw the hardships the family faced when his father fell and broke his thigh. We know that Edward and Martha are recorded in the application for Charles and Jane to be admitted into the Orphan Schools at Parramatta. He may have heard his parents and elder brothers plan to get Charles and Jane returned to the family and experienced the insecurity of "not knowing" if his brother John would be successful with his application. However, it was granted and the family were reunited with Charles & Jane, a little older and more educated than they were 3-4 years before. He would have experienced the 'loss' of his siblings during the years they were m the Orphan Schools as they were not much older than he and his sister Martha.

Exactly when Edward's older siblings moved over the Blue Mountains can be narrowed down to approximately 1840 It appears that they moved over at varying times, but when the younger ones Edward, Martha, Clara and Jane joined the older ones and their families and which family had which child is all just guess work. Several references have been made of Nicholas being in the Emu Valley area with Charles Whalan before he broke his thigh and was no longer able to be employed m he working world. But nothing is known about their mother, Elizabeth, being with her children when the older Delaneys made the move, to be amongst the early Pioneers of the Fish River Settlement We know that Elizabeth married soon after Nicholas' death in 1834, to Michael Mulchay, and again in 1848 after his death to a William Fitch, but that is where her story ends. All of this disturbed life must have had an impact on the young Edward and his sisters.

Edward married Anne Beale in 1863 in Slippery Creek, near Oberon. Anne had married when she was 16 to Darby Fitzpatrick and that they had son, Michael the next year. Darby appeared to be a very "colourful character" who spent 12 months as a "guest of Her Majesty" for "helping a feUow Irishman to an early meeting with his Maker". This event occurred in the Oberon Cemetery whils the two men were preparing a grave for funeral. "It was a case of -I can do a better job than you' resulting m a fight with a disaster" outcome.

It is possible that Anne, now a widow, met Edward at one of the social gatherings, within the Slippery Creek / Fish River settlement, either that. or they were neighbours and had known each other prior, to her previous marriage. Anne's father Jeremiah, was a convict and when his sentence ended, he received his land grant in the Fish River Hartley area and the area became known as Jerry's Mount, which is near Tarana. Jeremiah married Margaret Fanning, who came free to the colony with her Aunt Anne Hartigan, her husband and family. This family settled in Oberon district and many descendants live in and around the area. Jeremiah and Margaret had a large family and a couple of their children are directly and indirectly connected with the Delaneys. When Jeremiah Beale died Margaret married her daughter-in-law's brother Jeremiah Griffiths. Margaret was one of the local midwives and she assisted several of her grandchildren in the commencement of their life s Journey, besides other many others in the area.

Edward and Anne had many moves during their 35 years of married me. Between periods of farming and being a shepherd, the couple 'must have had their bags packed- most of the time Most of the children were born in different areas and would have got to know a lot of the districts bounded by Oberon, the Fish River area and the Cox River. Edward and Anne were the parents of twelve children. In their senior days the couple moved to Bathurst.

When Edward died in 1898 he was about 74 years of age and one of his grandcluldren recalled, "he was a grumpy old man". However, according to his death certificate Edward had died of bowel cancer, so he was probably in a lot of pain and this grandchild would not have been aware of his condition. The other interesting facts recounted by another of his grandchildren, revealed that he was short in height and he was left handed. Anne survived her husband by 32 years and would have seen many more changes to the almost virgin territory that they had settled in.

Anne Delaney was born in the Fish River area, at a point near where the surveyor Evans discovered that stream while on his historic journeys of discovery. Her parents were both Irish and were among the first settlers for the west in the area. Anne was the eldest child of 13 born to Jeremiah & Margaret. They had many exciting early experiences with the aborigines. Anne often gave vivid recollections of her family's experiences in those pioneering days. She claimed the Fish River as her place of maturity.

Anne often told stories, captivating her audience of the troubles caused to her Parents by the aborigines whose homes, were in the same bushy mountain area. When Anne was a toddler, her memories recall a time when the aborigines swooped down on the family home. It had been barricaded and made impenetrable to keep out the intruders. Finally they were driven away by her father gun. Bushrangers infrequently visited the Tarana district and consequently, the Delaney Family could not speak like others, in telling tales about the outlaws' activities.

However, Anne well recollected the stir created in her district by the unexpected arrival of Lowry and Cummins, who were among the worst of the desperadoes. This pair held up Webb's store at Mutton Falls, one night. They demanded "money or your lives". The storekeeper's daughter bailed the inmates up. Min Webb was little perturbed; she produced a gun and fired a shot. The intruders took off into the bush. It was an act of heroism indeed for Min Webb and was the main topic of conversation for years. This was one time the Delaney family never tired of relating this episode.

As a youngster Anne used to engage in long trips on horseback. Often she accompanied her father on trip to Sydney with his products in bullock wagons. She also made many trips to Bathurst, a comparatively small township in those days. She remembered the building of the old gaol where Machetti Park now stands. She repeatedly spoke in humourous vein to the fact that the first prisoners were bullocks. A mob of them was placed behind the walls. The animals were put there overnight because no places were available then to accommodate them.

Anne also spoke about the extraordinary dry periods that she remembered. Easily the worst one she declared was in 1878 1879, when New South Wales suffered a drought with terrible consequences. Indeed, it was a national calamity and over 3,000,000 head of stock succumbed to starvation. During this awful period Anne and Edward, were constantly engaged in aimlessly driving herds about in search of water.

Anne considered that the disastrous drought of 1902 was not to be compared with the 1878 - 1879 disaster, as in drought; the development of the rail system permitted the removal of multitudes of stock, whereas in the earlier age no transport was available. Anne's people often told her that the period 1838 - 1840 were three years of phenomenal dryness. Very little rain fell and the then infant colony was threatened with ruination.

Anne died in 1926, aged 83 years in her home in Bathurst and was buried in the Catholic Cemetery along with Edward. Two sons and a daughter predeceased their parents. Another valuable treasure commenced by Anne was the use of recording the family information in a Commonwealth Bankbook. Several other family members carried on the tradition, which has given us a very colourful and interesting picture of this family.

Birth number V1825613 125. Death number 13003.

Mothers name Betsy recorded on death certificate

Place of residence at time of death was Howick Street, Bathurst NSW

Edward was one of Nicholas and Elizabeth's youngest children. He was born about 1824 in the Nepean area. The documents do not give us an accurate date and have us frustratingly confused. The reason being, that Edward, Martha and Mathew - (children of Nicholas & Elizabeth) - were all baptised on the 21st March, 1825 in St. Mary's Cathedral, Sydney. A James McCarthy is recorded as the sponsor for the three children. James McCarthy was recorded as being the unappointed guardian, of the Catholic inhabitants of the early Nepean District. He held regular religious meetings, so that the Catholic community could keep in contact both spiritually and socially.

We know that Edward married Anne Beale, and Martha married John Sherringham, but Mathew does not appear in any other documents, or that the number of children includes him in any of the

documents concerning their father, Nicholas. We have no idea when or where he died, where he is buried and how long he lived. Judging by the fact that the family resided in the Nepean district, there is a strong possibility that Mathew was buried some where in this area, possibly in the James McCarthy Catholic Cemetery. James McCarthy donated an acre of his 100 acres land grant, to be used as a Catholic cemetery for the local Catholic community. A check of the cemeteries of the Nepean area makes no mention of Mathew. So it means that he was buried in an unmarked grave.

Researching the Evan District for those early days gave a scene that was as changeable as the seasons an be in any one-day. As the population started to grow in the young colony, more and more land grants brought many more people into the area. When the Blue Mountains were crossed, people started moving westwards to take up land grants, to try their luck with farming, followed by other lifestyles to support them. With the discoveries of shale, coal and gold, the rush started for miners to extract the minerals to use in life's necessities or to make them rich. Edward and his siblings saw all of this as he was growing up. Also, when floods, droughts, bushfires and plagues descended on the community with constant repetition, Edward learnt the urgency of the emergencies and developed the skills he would need when he was older. He saw the hardships the family faced when his father fell and broke his thigh. We know that Edward and Martha are recorded in the application for Charles and Jane to be admitted into the Orphan Schools at Parramatta. He may have heard his parents and elder brothers plan to get Charles and Jane returned to the family and experienced the insecurity of "not knowing" if his brother John would be successful with his application. However, it was granted and the family were reunited with Charles & Jane, a little older and more educated than they were 3-4 years before. He would have experienced the 'loss' of his siblings during the years they were m the Orphan Schools as they were not much older than he and his sister Martha.

Exactly when Edward's older siblings moved over the Blue Mountains can be narrowed down to approximately 1840 It appears that they moved over at varying times, but when the younger ones Edward, Martha, Clara and Jane joined the older ones and their families and which family had which child is all just guess work. Several references have been made of Nicholas being in the Emu Valley area with Charles Whalan before he broke his thigh and was no longer able to be employed m he working world. But nothing is known about their mother, Elizabeth, being with her children when the older Delaneys made the move, to be amongst the early Pioneers of the Fish River Settlement We know that Elizabeth married soon after Nicholas' death in 1834, to Michael Mulchay, and again in 1848 after his death to a William Fitch, but that is where her story ends. All of this disturbed life must have had an impact on the young Edward and his sisters.

Edward married Anne Beale in 1863 in Slippery Creek, near Oberon. Anne had married when she was 16 to Darby Fitzpatrick and that they had son, Michael the next year. Darby appeared to be a very "colourful character" who spent 12 months as a "guest of Her Majesty" for "helping a feUow Irishman to an early meeting with his Maker". This event occurred in the Oberon Cemetery whils the two men were preparing a grave for funeral. "It was a case of -I can do a better job than you' resulting m a fight with a disaster" outcome.

It is possible that Anne, now a widow, met Edward at one of the social gatherings, within the Slippery Creek / Fish River settlement, either that. or they were neighbours and had known each other prior, to her previous marriage. Anne's father Jeremiah, was a convict and when his sentence ended, he received his land grant in the Fish River Hartley area and the area became known as Jerry's Mount, which is near Tarana. Jeremiah married Margaret Fanning, who came free to the colony with her Aunt Anne Hartigan, her husband and family. This family settled in Oberon district and many descendants live in and around the area. Jeremiah and Margaret had a large family and a couple of their children are directly and indirectly connected with the Delaneys. When Jeremiah Beale died Margaret married her daughter-in-law's brother Jeremiah Griffiths. Margaret was one of the local midwives and she assisted several of her grandchildren in the commencement of their life s Journey, besides other many others in the area.

Edward and Anne had many moves during their 35 years of married me. Between periods of farming and being a shepherd, the couple 'must have had their bags packed- most of the time Most of the children were born in different areas and would have got to know a lot of the districts bounded by Oberon, the Fish River area and the Cox River. Edward and Anne were the parents of twelve children. In their senior days the couple moved to Bathurst.

When Edward died in 1898 he was about 74 years of age and one of his grandcluldren recalled, "he was a grumpy old man". However, according to his death certificate Edward had died of bowel cancer, so he was probably in a lot of pain and this grandchild would not have been aware of his condition. The other interesting facts recounted by another of his grandchildren, revealed that he was short in height and he was left handed. Anne survived her husband by 32 years and would have seen many more changes to the almost virgin territory that they had settled in.

Anne Delaney was born in the Fish River area, at a point near where the surveyor Evans discovered that stream while on his historic journeys of discovery. Her parents were both Irish and were among the first settlers for the west in the area. Anne was the eldest child of 13 born to Jeremiah & Margaret. They had many exciting early experiences with the aborigines. Anne often gave vivid recollections of her family's experiences in those pioneering days. She claimed the Fish River as her place of maturity.

Anne often told stories, captivating her audience of the troubles caused to her Parents by the aborigines whose homes, were in the same bushy mountain area. When Anne was a toddler, her memories recall a time when the aborigines swooped down on the family home. It had been barricaded and made impenetrable to keep out the intruders. Finally they were driven away by her father gun. Bushrangers infrequently visited the Tarana district and consequently, the Delaney Family could not speak like others, in telling tales about the outlaws' activities.

However, Anne well recollected the stir created in her district by the unexpected arrival of Lowry and Cummins, who were among the worst of the desperadoes. This pair held up Webb's store at Mutton Falls, one night. They demanded "money or your lives". The storekeeper's daughter bailed the inmates up. Min Webb was little perturbed; she produced a gun and fired a shot. The intruders took off into the bush. It was an act of heroism indeed for Min Webb and was the main topic of conversation for years. This was one time the Delaney family never tired of relating this episode.

As a youngster Anne used to engage in long trips on horseback. Often she accompanied her father on trip to Sydney with his products in bullock wagons. She also made many trips to Bathurst, a comparatively small township in those days. She remembered the building of the old gaol where Machetti Park now stands. She repeatedly spoke in humourous vein to the fact that the first prisoners were bullocks. A mob of them was placed behind the walls. The animals were put there overnight because no places were available then to accommodate them.

Anne also spoke about the extraordinary dry periods that she remembered. Easily the worst one she declared was in 1878 1879, when New South Wales suffered a drought with terrible consequences. Indeed, it was a national calamity and over 3,000,000 head of stock succumbed to starvation. During this awful period Anne and Edward, were constantly engaged in aimlessly driving herds about in search of water.

Anne considered that the disastrous drought of 1902 was not to be compared with the 1878 - 1879 disaster, as in drought; the development of the rail system permitted the removal of multitudes of stock, whereas in the earlier age no transport was available. Anne's people often told her that the period 1838 - 1840 were three years of phenomenal dryness. Very little rain fell and the then infant colony was threatened with ruination.

Anne died in 1926, aged 83 years in her home in Bathurst and was buried in the Catholic Cemetery along with Edward. Two sons and a daughter predeceased their parents. Another valuable treasure commenced by Anne was the use of recording the family information in a Commonwealth Bankbook. Several other family members carried on the tradition, which has given us a very colourful and interesting picture of this family.